Ice-cutting machine



No. 622,797. Patented Apr. II, I899. C. H. EDMANDS. ICE CUTTING MACHINE.

(Application 5166 Dec. 12, 1898.

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(No Model.)

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No. 622,797. Patentad Apr. n, I899. c. u. EnmAuns.

ICE CUTTING MACHINE.

(Application filed Dec. 12, 1888.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. EDMANDS, OF SAUGUS, MASSACHUSETTS.

ICE-CUTTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 622,797, dated April11, 1899.

Application filed December 12, 1898. Serial No. 699,031. (Np model.)

To ctZl whom, it ma concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. EDMANDs,

a citizen of the United States, residing a Sangus, in the county ofEssex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Ice Cutting Machines; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates to an ice-cutting machine, and more particularly toan ice-c utting machine for sawing pond-ice into blocks of uniform sizefor storage and subsequent use.

The object of my invention is to makea machine which will cut the icerapidly and uniformly, to provide it with a motor and mechanism topropel the machine, to drive the saws, and to turn the machine around atthe edge of the pond, and capable of being operated and controlled bytwo men, thereby prodncing an economical, efficient, and compact machinewhich will do the work heretofore requiring twenty men and ten or twelvehorses.

To the above ends my invention consists in the improvements inice-cutting machines hereinafter described and more particularly pointedout in the claims.

I11 the drawings illustrating the preferred form of my invention, Figure1 illustrates a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan, of my machine, theengine and boiler being omitted from the plan.

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention, 1 indicates a sledgewhich constitutes the support for the operative parts of the machine.

2 indicates the main shaft, mounted in suitable bearings and driven fromthe engine, hiddenby the boiler 3, by a sprocket-chain 4, running over asprocket-wheel 5, mounted on said main shaft 2. Spur-wheels 6, mountedupon the driving shaft 7, driven by the sprocket-chain 8 from the mainshaft 2, project down below the level of the runners 9 of the sledge 1and by engagement with the surface of the ice propel the machine overthe same. The driving-shaft is supported at its ends in sliding boxes10, normally pressed downward by springs 11, for a purpose hereinafterdescribed.

projected ends steel saws 23 and 24.

Upon each side of the sledge 1 are mounted two guide wheels 12 and twoguides -wheels 13, supported by bell-crank levers 14, pivoted upon theside of the sledge. The upwardlyprojecting ends of the bell-crank leversare connected together by rods 15, attached, respectively, to theguide-operating levers 16 and 17, so that both of the guide-wheels onone side of the machine may be raised or lowered at the same time by onelever.

The main saw-driving sprocket-wheel 18 is rotatably mounted on a shaft19, carried in suitable bearings near the front of the machine anddriven by means of the sprocketchain 20 from the main shaft 2. Pivotallymounted upon the shaft 19 are two swinging saw-frames 21 in suitablebearings,in the outer ends of which are rotatably supported thesaw-shafts 22, carrying on their outwardly- These saws are adapted to bedriven by means of sprocket chains 25, running over clutchsprockets 26,loosely mounted upon the shaft 19 on opposite sides of the saw drivingsprocket 18 and sprockets 27, secured to the saw-shafts 22.

The opposite sides of the saw driving sprocket 18 are provided withclutch-faces adapted to be engaged by clutch-faces on the adjacent sidesof the clutch-sprockets 26, so that when one of the clutch-levers 28 or29 is moved toward the saw-driving sprocket 18 the corresponding saw 23or 24 will berotated by the means described.

To regulate the depth of the groove to be out by the saw I have providedeach sawframe with means for raising and lowering it. In the illustratedembodiment of this means for raising and lowering the saw-frames I havemounted bell-crank levers 30 upon the shaft 19, having one arm which isprojected forward and upon which the frame is adapted to rest. To theother arm of the lever 30 I have attached a link 31, running to ahand-lever 32, by means of which the lever 30 maybe oscillated and thesaw thereby raised and lowered. The quadrant-rack 33, in conjunctionwith the spoon-lever 34 and detent mounted upon the hand-lever 32 in theusual manner, affords a convenient means of maintaining the saw in anydesired position. The saw 23 is shown in position cutting a groove inthe ice,

while the saw 24 is shown in its raised position, being supported uponone of two posts 35, provided for that purpose, and it will be observedthat the direction of rotation of the saw when cutting is such as tolift the chips out of the groove and at'the same time to hold the saw toits work, no'pressure being required to hold the saw down.

Mounted in screw-threaded bearings 36, preferably located on the sidesof the sledge in line with the driving-shaft '7, are twocorrespondingly-screw-threaded turning-posts 37 37, provided withsharpened points on their lower and on their upper ends, respectively,with the hand-wheels 38 and 39, by means of which the turning-posts maybe operated to raise and lower them. means might be provided forsupporting and guiding the turning-posts and for raising and loweringthem. I have also provided means for raising both of the spur-wheels 6out of engagement with the ice, so that the machine may be easily movedfrom place to place on the pond, and, moreover, for liftingone of thespur-wheels out of contact with the ice when it is desired to turn themachine around at the end of its traverse across the pond. I preferablyemploy for this purpose the bent levers 40, pivoted at 41 and havingtheir free ends projected under the shaft 7., which by means of cams 42,operated by the levers 43 and 44, respectively, lift the spur-wheels 6,so that by the former lever 43 the right-hand spur-wheel 6 may be liftedfrom the ice, and by means of the lever 44 the left-hand spur- Wheel 6can be lifted against the pressure of the springs 11. It will beobserved that when the cam is vertical the corresponding lever 40 willbe locked in its raised position.

v The operation of my invention is as follows: I first cut a groove afew feet in length inthe edge of the pond that it is desired to cut andthen place the machine in proper position and lower, say, for example,the guiderollers 12 into the groove by means of the hand-lever 16. Thesaw 24 will be in the position in which it is illustrated, and the saw23 will be in position to cut. The spurwheels 6 will be in contact withthe ice, and the engine will then be started. The groove which hasalready been cut will compel the machine to travel in a straight lineacross the pond, and the saw will cut a groove into which theguide-rollers 12 will follow. At the end of the traverse across the pondthe engine will be stopped and the saw 23 will be raised, and then theturning-post 37 will be screwed down into the groove of the ice by meansof the hand-wheel 38. Then the righthand spur-wheel 6 will be raisedfrom con-- tact with the ice, the guide-rollers 12'will Any othersuitable cause the machine to move in a circle about the turning-post37. This motion will be continueduntil the machine has turned end forend, when the guide-rollers 12 will be again lowered into the samegroove, the turning post 37 will be raised by the hand-wheel 3S, and thesaw 24 will be lowered into operative position and the machine againstarted for another traverse across the pond, cutting a groove parallelto the first groove and at the distance therefrom equal to the distancebetween the two saws and which in ordinary practice will be forty-fourinches. Of course it is perfectly feasible to cut any other desired sizeof cakes by varying the proportions of the machine. At the end of thissecond traverse across the pond the engine will be stopped, thehand-wheel 39 operated to force its turning-post into the groove whichhas just been cut, the guide-rollersr12 will be raised by the lever 16,the saw 24 will be raised, the hand-lever 44 operated to raise theleft-hand spur-wheel 6 from out of contact with the ice, when theenginewill again be set in motion and the machine turned around into theposition in which it first started across the pond. On this trip across,however, the guide-rollers 13 .will be turned down into the'groove andthe saw 23 will cut the next succeeding groove. This operation will berepeated until the pond is entirely out by parallel grooves, and thenthe grooves at right angles to the same will be cut in like manner.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States- 1. In an ice-cutting machine thecombination with a frame and associated parts, of a propelling-wheel onone side of the frame and a turning-post on the other side of the frame,whereby when the turning-post is depressed, the propelling-wheel willturn the machine around, substantially as described.

2. In an ice-cutting machine, the combination with a frame andassociated parts, of.

propelling-Wheels on the'sides of the frame, means for raising thepropelling-wheel of one side independently of the propelling-wheel ofthe other side, turning-posts on the side of the frame, and means fordepressing the turning-post on one side independently of theturning-post of the other side, whereby when one turning-post isdepressed and the propelling-wheel on the same side therewith is raised,the propelling-wheel on the opposite side will turn the machine around,substantially as described.

3. In an ice-cutting machine, the combination with a frame, andassociated parts, of propelling-wheels on the sides of the frame, meansfor raising the propelling-wheel of one side independently of thepropelling-wheel of the other side, turning-posts on the sides of theframe, means for depressing the turning-post of one side independentlyof the turning-post of the other side, suitable guides ing and loweringthe guide of one side independently of the guide. of the other side,

whereby when the guides are raised, one

turning-post is depressed and the propellingwheel on the same sidetherewith is raised,

' turning-posts, to turn the machine around,

substantially as described.

5. In an ice-cutting machine, the combination with a frame andassociated parts, of a propelling-wheel,two pairs of guides mounted uponopposite sides ofthe frame, two turning-posts mounted respectively inline with the pairs of guides adapted to be depressed into the groove inthe ice between the guides whereby the machine may be turned around saidposts to a position parallel with and opposite to its original position,substantially as described.

6. In an ice-cutting machine, the combination with a frame andassociated parts, of a pair of propelling-wheels, two pairs of guidesmounted upon opposite sides of the frame, two turning-posts mountedrespectively in line with the pairs of guides and adapted to bedepressed into the groove in the ice between the guides, and means forraising one of the propelling-wheels out of contact with the ice,whereby the machine may be turned around said posts'to a positionparallel with and opposite to its original position, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. EDMANDS. Witnesses:

T. HART -ANDERSON, HORACE VAN EVEREN.

